For those who have experience on using a notebook computer before, regardless of using it in an office or at home, one has to connect many cables and peripherals such as a power cable, a network cable, a mouse, a printer and a speaker, etc. If users need to take the notebook computer out with them, it will be quite annoying to remove all the cables and peripherals, without mentioning the reinstallation of these cables and peripherals when the users bring it back to the office or home.
To solve this annoying problem, a multifunctional docking station is designed for notebook computers to provide an easy way of installing and removing peripherals. There are three main types of multifunctional docking stations: a basic model with several peripheral connection ports; an expanded model having a multibay individually installed on both sides of the docking station for installing additional computer peripherals in addition to the foregoing connection ports, so that the functions of a notebook computer can be expanded almost up to the functions of a desktop computer; and an external docking station model using a universal serial bus (USB) interface for connecting a notebook computer.
Further, the size of a notebook computer is limited, and even the so-called “all-in-one” model cannot accommodate too many storage devices into the limited space provided by a notebook computer, particularly the space for the installation of hard disk drives is very limited. After a user has used a computer for a while, the quantity of data will become larger and larger, and thus it is necessary to add another hard disk drive or back up the data by a CD burner. Of course, data can be transmitted through the local area network for the data processing, but it is not as convenient to save and access data directly into/from the computer. Therefore, the foregoing multibay can provide a more flexible way of storing data, and the peripherals connected to the multibay can expand the functions of the notebook computer, such as installing another detachable hard disk drive, CD burner, DVD-ROM, floppy disk drive, and the like, or even adding another battery to improve the battery time or using the notebook interchangeably with a commercial desktop computer.
The so-called “expandable mobile architecture” refers to the concept derived from the aforementioned principles and emphasizes on its powerful expandability, so that users can easily expand the desired functions for their notebook computers. The multibay allows a hot plug connection for various different peripherals and integrates different platforms to meet different requirements, and thus can make the installation of external devices to the notebook computer easy.
However, after a notebook computer is installed onto a docking station, the notebook computer can be taken away by someone else very easily, since the traditional docking station usually does not come with the design of a special locking mechanism. Even if there is a locking mechanism, the mechanism is so complicated that incurs a high cost. Furthermore, such locking mechanism usually cannot be combined with the docking station itself, and thus the notebook computer and the docking station will be taken away altogether, even though it is difficult to take away the notebook computer only. Such design causes more damages to users, and thus finding a way to overcome the foregoing shortcomings is an urgent and important topic for manufactures.